Thanks.
I'll hit 5 years in Switzerland in 2 years, and am planning to apply for the C permit. However, in 2 years I also have my work contract expiring and before getting another job, I would like to take a few months off, for which I am currently saving. Will being unemployed be a problem while applying for the C permit? If I need to provide some proof of financial means, how much money do I need to have in the bank?
For EU applicants this may not be an issue. There seems not to be an explicit requirement to show proof of income or employment for renewal of a permit B for example in canton GE.
If you are a non-EU citizen then you will likely need to have a new work contract to be eligible for a renewal of your current permit and/or change to permit C. See below for example the rules for canton GE to request a permit C :
https://www.ge.ch/demander-permis-c
For non-EU applicants the requirement to participate in economic life is clearly spelled out.
As well as integration and language.
Bumping up the question since I am also interested if being unemployed will be a problem while applying for the C permit? If I need to provide some proof of financial means, how much money do I need to have in the bank?
It depends on the canton.
For a non-EU early C permit after 5 years in Zurich one has to have been employed continuously during those 5 years (breaks up to 3 months between jobs are tolerated) as well as be employed at the time of applying. Showing sufficient savings likely won't do.
At least for early C permit - you need to be employed during submitting your request + only a short unemployment during the 5 years is allowed.
I have a similar problem. I came to Switzerland in 2018 and my permit is coming up for renewal next spring. I am currently unemployed and assuming I do not find a job by then, I will have been unemployed for over one year on the expiry date of my current 5 year B (EU) permit. I am worried because I read somewhere that if someone has been involuntarily unemployed for more than one year at the time of the renewal of their B permit, the B permit will only be extended for one year. But I have also heard some anecdotal evidence that the authorities tend to be lax with EU citizens when it comes to these rules and they give out C permits quite easily unless if there is a serious problem (such as debts and whatnot, which I do not have).
I am a British citizen with legacy EU rights (as I arrived before the end of the transition period) and I also hold another EU passport.
Should I try to find any old job outside my field - no matter what kind or how badly paid - just to make sure that I don't run into problems with my permit renewal next spring?
Based on this, am I likely to get a C permit, a B permit for one year, or something else, such as a B permit for 5 years? (I'm in the canton of Bern, if that makes a difference.) Many thanks in advance for any replies!